Pippins Can’t Overcome Five-Run Third Inning

Backed by a five run third, the HarbourCats beat the Pippins 6-3 in Victoria on Tuesday.

The Pippins had early chances to score first with runners on first and second in both the first and second innings. They were unable to capitalize and the Harbourcats struck first with a run in the second when Jaxxon Fagg (Georgia Southern) grounded into a double play. It would snowball from there when Pippins starter Michael Bovee Jr. (Cal State Bakersfield) had trouble finding the strike zone.

Brodan Bydeweg (Vancouver Island University) lead off the third inning with a single. After a putout and a stolen base, of which the HarbourCats had eight, Cade Brown (U of San Diego) walked to put runners at the corners with one out. Trey Bigford (Cameron University) followed with an RBI single. A wild pitch scored another run and an error on a pickoff throw brought in another run. The final run of the inning came in to score on another wild pitch. Bovee Jr. would not escape the third inning, being replaced by Tanner Lewis (Southern Nevada) with two outs in the third. Lewis recorded the third out to get the Pippins out of the inning.

The Pippins bullpen would provide lockdown pitching the rest of the way to try and give the offense a chance to score. Lewis and Hunter French (Central Washington) combined to throw 5.1 innings, giving up just two hits, no runs and eight strikeouts.

The Pippins offense wouldn’t get their first hit until the fifth, although they had multiple baserunners in the first two innings from four walks by HarbourCats starter Sam Brunning (Embry-Riddle). Sam Mitchell (MSU Billings) would drive in the first run of the game for the Pippins on the first hit for the team with two outs in the fifth.

The Pippins would add another run in the sixth and one more in the ninth but it wasn’t enough to overcome the early 6-0 deficit and the Pippins fell to the HarbourCats 6-3. The Pippins will try to even the series on Wednesday. First pitch at 6:35.